The Cali Cartel In 'Narcos: Season 3' Were Evil AF, So We Breakdown Just How Bad Each Was

If you haven't already binged on Narcos: Season 3 then I'm going to perform my journalistic duty and inform you that this post is dark and full of spoilers (sorry, necessary Game of Thrones reference). If you're cool with the entire plot being revealed, keep on keepin' on, my friend. Of course, the show is mostly historically accurate, so anything I touch upon could ultimately be Googled, but that's neither here nor there — let's do this thang.

It goes without saying that The Cali Cartel — most famously known as, The Gentleman of Cali — were some of the most evil men in syndicated crime history. Seriously, The Colombians made the Italian Mafia look like whimsical characters in a Pixar film. Well, er, I take that back. I wouldn't go that far, but seriously they were monsters through and through. They cared about money and money alone. Afterall, it was cocaine incorporated.

While all of these men eventually met their demise in one way or another, it doesn't negate the fact that their actions scarred entire nation. You have to remember that at the time of their reign, Colombia was legitimately a Narco-democracy. What does that mean, you ask? As per The Heritage Foundation—

"A country whose economy, political system, and society have been profoundly compromised and distorted by the wealth and power of the drug cartels.

These men weren't your average Drug Lords, they ran a country. Beyond that, they ran a PEOPLE. They owned politicians and police men like they were pets and The Americans, ha! It took us a long damn time to a thing about it, but we can save that for another post. Below we're going to breakdown JUST how bad each member of The Cali Cartel was as per Narcos.

Pacho Herrera

I found Pacho to be the most violent member of The Cartel despite his lower-ranking of the 4 men. It wasn't so much that his style of murder was any more or less gruesome than the others, it was simply that he always handled business himself. The Rodriguez brothers, for example, would have their men do the torturing, but not Pacho. He was there gun in hand all on his own, often times taking out entire bloodlines for sport.

José ‘Don Chepe’ Santacruz Londono

What made Chepe so horrifying was his sense of entitlement to murder. Yes, you read that correct. He behaved as if it were normal to shoot people in cold blood in PUBLIC. He murdered what seemed like 9 or 10 men on the streets of New York City alone — most of the time walking away as if nothing had happened. His motive to kill was centrally based on eliminating the competition despite the fact he was making millions and millions of dollars as it stood.

Miguel Rodriguez Orejuela

Miguel was the youngest of the Rodriguez brothers and second-in-command to Gilberto. Miguel's evil wasn't as forthright as the others. He was more calculating or even diabolical, if you will. He remained calm, even when plotting to have someone murdered. Of course, he had his moments when he unraveled, but overall he wasn't explosive like Pacho or Chepe. He was incredibly fixated on loyalty to the point of paranoia which ultimately became his downfall.

Gilberto Rodriguez Orejuela

While Gilberto was El Jefe, he reminded me more of a corrupt politician or businessman more than anything else. He was almost charming this season, if I'm being honest. It was difficult to believe that this was a man who advocated for the murder and destruction of an entire nation, but a las, he did. He controlled the game and he knew it. Even when Miguel attempted to override his authority, he was always one step ahead. Perhaps being a sociopathic drug lord is the most evil of all. You don't have to hold a gun to have blood on your hands.